Customer Reviews

Stone of Tears (Sword of Truth, Book 2)

5 star:		(190)
4 star:		(99)
3 star:		(43)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

I read Wizards First Rule in one extended sitting during a 30 hour trip from Sydney to Frankfurt. I wanted a book that would take my mind off of being cooped up in airplanes. It worked really well for that.

I read Stone of Tears because WFR got me hooked on the characters, particularly Richard, the hero, and I wanted more. For me, Stone of Tears was an even better story. Do you know that feeling when you identify with a character so much that you start writing your own dialog for him? I hope that's not just me who does that...

I agree with a lot of reviewers who talk about wooden dialog and some unbelievable situations. Most of the men and some of the women in the story seem to have physical abilities and endurance that would sweep the olympic games if they ever tore the veil between that world and ours. But, listen: that's not important. To me, emotions are important, and intelligent characters. I don't want to be yelling at dumb characters, in my head.

I identify with Richard. He's an angry young man with a strong personal code. He's no wuss. He's smart. I once was a young man like that, too, so it felt good to slip into his skin.

Ultimately, my test for a good book is whether it changes how I experience the world. This series is doing that. I'm thinking about my own experience as a Seeker, and my own personal Sword of Truth. Sound silly? In 1999, I quit a safe job and became a consultant. I had no savings, nor equipment, nor preparation. This was a Sword of Truth moment, I now realize. It's a moment that comes rarely in life-- when you see what you must do and you do it despite the pain it will cause you. We're caught up in so many complicated threads in our modern lives, Terry Goodkind is the kind of writer who helps me reflect on how I can maintain my moral compass.

I noticed somebody giving a review on this after reading 1/3 the book. Such a review should be given only 1/3rd its weight in value in my opinion. First of, the so called "sexual situations" are directed at adults. Goodkind say's he writes these books with adults in mind. If there is so much evil in these fantasy type stories, its only common place that such gory sex acts might exist too. I don't have a problem with that. If the reviewer continued reading, he'd know the Sisters of Light are nothing like the Aes Sedai of Jordans world. In conclusion, this is a fabulous tale, and I give it 5 stars. I have read all the books in this series and their wonderful. Each book is nicely concluded and we're not kept hanging.

"Stone of Tears" by Terry Goodkind picks up right after the first novel, "Wizard's First Rule", and really hits the ground running. The story transitions pretty seamlessly, and the reader is again struck with Goodkind's relentlessly brutal storytelling ability. This book greatly expands the world of The Sword of Truth series beyond what had been revealed in the first novel. The readers are given several new major characters, along with a host of minor ones, and an entirely new land of people only previously mentioned in passing. At almost one thousand pages, this is probably the longest novel in the entire series, and a lot of ground is covered here. The events of Stone of Tears set up the direction the rest of the series takes, which, as of this writing, is currently at it's tenth book and set to end with two more.

There are so many different plotlines that it's difficult to summarize it all in one review, but the main plot here is that Richard is taken, mostly against his will, by a group called the Sisters of Light to their palace in the Old World. It seems the Sisters aren't fond of untrained wizards running around, as they have a tendency to cause unnecessary problems (and a wizard's gift can kill him if he doesn't know how to keep it under control). At this point there are no other wizards left to teach Richard, so they take it upon themselves to ensure he gets the proper training. Several reviewers of the books later on in the series try to point out that Richard is invincible, all powerful, never makes mistakes, etc. To them I would firmly point right here, where the far-reaching extent of Richard's mistakes begin to manifest. While it's true that Richard generally comes out on top in whatever immediate conflict he's involved in at the end of each novel, each and every one of his minor victories only creates a larger problem for the world. At the end of "Wizard's First Rule" Richard does in fact defeat the wizard Darken Rahl, but the manner in which Richard defeats him tears the veil between worlds, giving the Keeper of the Underworld the ability to reach into reality and begin the process of freeing himself from his infernal prison. Seeing as how that jeopordizes the lives of every individial in the entire world, I'd call that a mistake. Likewise, at the conclusion of Stone of Tears, Richard destroys the boundary between the New and Old Worlds so that he can try to rescue Kahlan from a dark prophecy he has learned of. While he is successful in bringing the boundary down, this act unleashes the full wrath of Emporer Jagang and his Imperial Order upon the New World - a force of destruction still being felt seven books later.

The depth of the characters really begin to show in this novel. Abstract concepts that Richard just talked about in the first book are delivered much more keenly by his actions this time around. Richard's nobility and desire to preserve life is brought sharply into focus when he and one of his captors, Sister Verna, travel through the land of the Majendi - a tribal people who are at war with their displaced neighbors, the Baka Ban Mana. It seems Verna, along with all the Sisters of Light, are well aware that the Majendi are ritualstically sacrificing members of the Baka Ban Mana, but they do nothing to stop it, as the Majendi allow the Sisters of Light safe passage through their lands. Unable to stomach such blatant disregard for life, and the fact that the Sisters of Light do nothing to right a wrong clearly present to them, Richard does everything in his power to bring this horrid tradition to and end, even though it puts his own life in mortal danger.

Although it pops up every now and again in a small way, the philosphy of Objectivism, which the whole series is based on, takes a back seat to the storytelling and action. This one is mostly plot progression, and it does a very good job of that. Besides the other world-altering examples previously mentioned, the "Sisters of the Dark" are introduced here, and are a constant menace throughout the book. They dissapear at the end of the novel, off to do dark deeds on their own, only to re-appear in the newest novel, Chainfire, and bring a plot line thought dead in this book back to the forefront. As was stated in my review of "Wizard's First Rule" every book in this series has some capacity to make the reader cry - look for it here in the form of an unlikely hero displaying emotions thought impossible for this particular individual. Goodkind's ability at writing is showcased by the fact that he can vividly and effectively describe high fantasy, horrific warfare, scenes of dialoge, and more sentimental scenes all in one novel.

If you liked Wizards First Rule, I'd highly recommend contuining the story here.

This review is not about the novel, but the ebook version. I can understand some errors during the conversion process, but to misplace an entire section is unforgivable. A key section dealing with the Sisters of the Dark, originally taking place at the end of chapter 64, has been moved to the end of the book, AFTER "The End". Obviously, no one bothered reviewing the ebook prior to publication.

Editing errors continue in the next book, "Blood of the Fold". Upon checking to see if any sections had been misplaced in that book I discovered sections were divided not by a sword, as in "Wizard's First Rule", nor by asterisks, as in "Stone of Tears", but by the words "1 Line Space". I did not look beyond the last chapter to see if this occurred throughout the book.

I understand Amazon and the publishers' reasons for encoding their products with DRM (digital rights management). But I consider this a breach of the unwritten agreement between publisher and reader. If they continue to provide us with inferior, error-ridden products, they should not complain when we strip their protections so we can re-edit their books into something readable.

I just started reading Terry Goodkind ("Sword of Truth" series) again. A few years back, I was reading the second book, Stone of Tears, but never finished it due to it seeming derivative of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (it had Sisters of the Light, like Aes Sedai, and other similar things) and it being long - 997 pages). Well, I picked it up again and finished it. I tell you what, it was excellent (I was stupid for putting it down before). Goodkind keeps the plot moving and the action brisk. It doesn't have a series of long chapters (or books) where you get endless description, endless insignificant characters, and nothing happening, as is common in The Wheel of Time. In other words, Goodkind tells a story and entertains you with action, intrigue, fascinating creatures, spectacular magic, good characters that grow and evolve, philosophy, and satisfiying conclusions. Goodkind gets things going right away and doesn't bore you with excruciating, pointless, mindless drivel that's being used for profit producing filler, like is so common in the later books of The Wheel of Time. It's like night and day, comparing Jordan to Goodkind in terms of entertainment value. And it's not like Goodkind lacks in vivid description or quality detail. He just incorporates description and detail within the flow of the story in a graceful, entertaining fashion that enhances, not detracts from, the reader experience. So if you are looking for an entertaining, enriching read in the fantasy genre, I recommend Goodkind.

Oh dear, oh dear, where did it all go wrong Terry? What a pity,when the first book was quite good this book is just pure unfilteredcrude &@*!$. Terry plunders every cliche known to man and doesnt seem to have his own writing style. The way Kahlen and Richard kept apologising to each other at every available opportunity smacked to me of an author who can't write a decent line of dialog or of line wasting. Terry is deeply preoccupied with physical violence and uses it at every opportunity to shock the reader. The ending was the most contrived i've read in years! Terry conspires to forget about the plot for the whole book until the last 10 pages where he tries to squeeze it all in! It just doesn't work! Poor show Terry. END

This was an outstanding book. If you have read Wizards first rule and enjoyed it as much as I did, then you are probably frantically searching for the next one. It definately fills in the missing parts and you get a better understanding of what the series is about. This dramatic fantasy is the best I have ever read. Granted, I have not read many fantasy books but this one definitely takes the cake. You won't be able to put it down and it will be over before you know it.
One thing that did it for me was the characters. Unlike many fantasy books, Terry Goodkind creates realistic characters, if you can believe that. It is easy relating to many of the characters and their personalities are unlike the norm. For me it was easy to relate to Richard, but that's just because I think of myself as a hero. OK but seriously, no matter who you are, there is at least one character that you can associate with.
Besides all that, Goodkind's writing is so captivating and so amazing, that all you can think about is getting home so you can continue reading. I don't know how he does it but when I read his work it is like he is putting pictures in my mind. His settings are so extraordinary, only your mind can comprehend them.
Goodkind's style of writing hooks me because instead of writing the book chapter after chapter, he changes things up a bit. Maybe you will be reading about Khalan and her adventures, and then all at once there you are reading about Richard. You might not get to find out what happens for another two or three chapters. But the suspense is what makes it good. It wouldn't be nearly exciting if you found out things right away.
If you are looking to enhance you vocabulary this may not be the book for you. However, he does not bore you whatsoever with low-key tone or lousy words. If fantasy is your thing then I say you are obligated to read this book. You won't be disappointed.

I really like Stone of Tears; the plot and situations facing Richard and Kahlan are very unique and creative. Let me go ahead and say right now, that I don't think this is a bad book, but a couple of things got under my skin:

1) Too much recap. I know Goodkind (or his editor) was probably not thinking too much for his future readers. What he (or they) had in mind was making sure his fans would be reminded what happened in Wizard's First Rule and could therefore grab it hot off the presses on its release date. But for someone like me (who, 15 years later, bought the boxed set and could immediately jump to the next book) that much recap was useless and frustrating.

2)Repetition of certain concepts. I don't know what the problem was but it seemed Goodkind felt his readers couldn't remember basic facts about Kahlan or Richard. I was reminded in almost every chapter focusing on Kahlan that she was THE Mother Confessor and it was HER responsibility to watch over the little people of the Midlands. I GET IT! I remembered that just fine from WFR. Thankfully, around halfway through the book, Goodkind must've felt it was hammered in well enough and moved on to telling the story. It also seems that Richard can't even touch the Sword of Truth without Goodkind throwing in that Richard "felt the word 'Truth' on the hilt digging into his palm". Cut the drama of useless detail and get on with it.

3) Way too much sap. And this is bad coming from a chick. I know, I know, "but they discovered they could love each other and not hide their feelings" blah, blah. Instead of condensing this into one or two effective, touching and poignant scenes, this drags on with every chapter Rich and Kahlan are together until they're separated, which is when I took a sigh of relief. I needed them to have some time apart!

4) Characters talking to each other as if they're stupid. This happened a handful of times between Zedd and Adie; Zedd is a wizard, Adie, a sorceress. There should be at least a base of common knowledge between the two. The best analogy I can make is to pretend that they both have Ph.Ds in physics, but one is telling the other how Newton formulated his theory of gravity, or explaining how sub-atomic particles work. That should not happen, ever! Goodkind should've thought of better ways to teach his readers this system of magic besides dialogue, especially between the two most skilled wizards of the story (so far) after Darken Rahl. It was forced, fake and boring.

Again, this is NOT a bad story, it was bad editing. I recommend reading it, but be aware of the crap you're gonna have to skirt around to finish it.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS:

If you're looking for a breather from important stuff and just want something "fun" to read, look no further. No reason that you must read Wizard's First Rule first, just buy this one and dive right in. It's quite self-contained. It has the advantage over the Wheel of Time books in that it is self-contained and does not take hundreds of pages reiterating prior events. For those people who delight in reading action-oriented tales in the vein of Dragonlance, early Shannara works, and others then this is a book in which you will delight.

WHY YOU SHOULD PASS:

There is quite a bit of violence here as well as a bit of sex. Nothing that kids won't find on the sci-fi channel, but the descriptions are rather more brutal than customary and give a flavor of realism that will give people pause. Maybe keep away from soft-hearted or very young children (maybe also away from children you've noticed tormenting small animals). If you are looking to read a book that will seriously change how you look at the world, pass. You will not find that kind of writing here. This is, as sfreviews.com pointed out, pure (but good) escapism.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

This is the longest book of the series, but definitely one of the best. Goodkind weaves together a story and world that is rich and inviting. The book plays like a movie in your head and you'll have a hard time putting it down.

As a side note, there are some current issues as of this review with the Kindle Edition. It lacks all paragraph/tab indentations as well as not having the Mud People's spoken words in italics as it should. I have sent this information to Amazon, and they report that the publisher is fixing these problems, and a new update version will be released as soon as possible. According to them, if you have already purchased the Kindle Edition, you will be able to download the update for free once it is released.